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Priest stabbed during Mass at Mexico City cathedral dies in hospital

John Rock Schild is seen handcuffed after being accused of stabbing Father Miguel Angel Machorro three times during Mass May 15 at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City. (CNS photo/EPA)

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Father José Miguel Machorro, who was stabbed in the neck and torso mid-May at the conclusion of Mass at the cathedral of Mexico City, died while at hospital on Thursday. “May the God of life already have him in his presence and may Our Lady of Guadalupe console and strengthen all the faithful who have suffered along with him this lamentable deed,especially his relatives, who suffer today this irremediable loss which most deeply pains us,” Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico said Aug. 3.

Fr. Machorro, 55, was attacked the evening of May 15 in a knife attack. The assailant, Juan René Silva Martínez, is a 32 year old Mexican citizen. Martinez attempted to slit the throat of the priest, instead injuring him on the right side of his neck. Expert reports have determined that the assailant has a “psychotic disorder.”

Fr. Machorro was in intensive care until late June. He was later put in the care of his brother in the state of Puebla. Various complications led to his Aug.1 emergency transfer from the Tehuacán General Hospital, Puebla, to the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition in Mexico City. He was declared brain dead the evening of Aug. 2, and died shortly after noon the following day.